On 22 October, the Freemasons of Hampshire & Isle of Wight celebrated the conclusion of their 2016 Festival Appeal. The Appeal was launched in 2010 and over the past six years, members have worked tirelessly to raise an incredible £7,746,319 for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. This is largest total ever raised in the history of Masonic Festival Appeals.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation has donated £50,000 to the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas, in the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew over recent days.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation has donated £58,321 to Sparks, a charity which raises funds to support pioneering children’s medical research. This grant will fund research into the development of visual impairment screening methods for children with cerebral palsy.